Lenovo chose to use Windows 8 Pro for its new hybrid notebook/tablet because it believes businesses don't want Windows RT.

Lenovo Think PC and visual category manager Simon Kent said Windows 8 Pro was the obvious choice for its new hybrid notebook/tablet -- the ThinkPad Helix -- because businesses want the full Windows 8 experience instead of the sliced and diced OS that is Windows RT.

"We don't believe that Windows RT is what businesses want," Kent said. "This is particularly true for a premium product such as Helix, which gives you the performance and capability of a full Ultrabook as well as a business tablet."

"Even Microsoft has started to review the RT path they have gone down."

Kent described the ThinkPad Helix as an Ultrabook first and a tablet second, where businesses can use it as a hard-working, performance tool or just a vehicle for content consumption -- whether they're at a desk or on-the-go.

Windows RT has been a huge disappointment for hardware makers. Companies like Dell and Lenovo have recently slashed the prices of their RT-powered devices because they can't seem to clear their inventory. For instance, Lenovo offered a seven-day deal last month where its IdeaPad Yoga 11 was available for just $599 -- down from the original $799 price. Amazon sells the model for just $499.

The Dell XPS 10 tablet with Windows RT, which launched at $500 for the 32GB, is now $450. The 64GB model launched at $599 and is now $499.

"Demand is not where I would like it to be at this point in time," said Hand. "The amount of market information about it is not good enough, and the market sentiment is still pretty negative."

Despite criticism of Windows RT, Microsoft has been defending its baby and denying rumors that it will die off. However, a Bloomberg source anonymously revealed that Microsoft has sold 1.5 million Surface tablets as of March. More specifically, the company had sold a little over a million Surface with Windows RT tablets and about 400,000 Surface with Windows Pro tablets.

Atom based Windows 8 hybrid tablet already has the battery life equivalent to ARM CPU, and the price is normally only slightly higher than Surface RT. Microsoft could have made a Surface variant running Atom and it would have the great battery life and support for proper desktop mode. Not sure why they decide not to. Many people who wants long battery life running Windows, and is willing to go with the tradeoff running ARM, could have gotten Atom based tablet. ARM performance is not faster than Atom at this point of time.

Very true, I have played with a Dell Latitude 10 at work which is Atom based. It's pretty nice, just quite as refined as the Surface. And it lacks the a detachable keyboard like the Surface and some of the other convertibles out there. I'd be interested in seeing an AMD APU in something like the Surface in the future. When x86 gets down to near the battery life of current ARM cpus and if Windows on ARM stays what RT currently is, x86 running Windows 8 will probably marginalize it which would be unfortunate. It could have been so much better.